Episode 74: monorail accidents

This video is a look back at the 9 accidents that caused damage, injury, or required evacuation from the Walt Disney World Monorail System.

I talk extensively about the fire in 1985, during which passengers evacuated onto the beam. And I also detail the accident in 2009 where two trains collided and a poor young man was killed; I explain the NTSB report and show how it happened using my monorail toy.

While I have made every effort to verify the facts, it is possible I'm wrong about some things. And its also possible there is another incident that I am unaware of...feel free to post a comment if you are know about anything I missed.

NTSB report:

There are a few photos used in the video that are watermarked, and attribution is given for them. Other photos come from the web, and have unknown attribution.

Any photos or videos are included for educational purposes, to set the context for the show.

Video clips which are used to illustrate a specific part of the show include:
View inside the monorail cab

2013 / Lightning strike

2015 news report

2023 news report

View of the pilot

Monorail silver (no card shown)

All other videos were taken by me.

Please note that I provide some info about attribution at the end

Sources Used:

00:00 introduction
03:07 Crash, 1974
04:08 Monorail fire, 1985
13:40 Tractor accident, 1991
14:49 Electrical Fire, 1996
15:47 Tragic accident, 2009
24:32 Power Failure, 2013
25:21 Mechanical Failure, 2015
27:14 Tug Crash, 2015
27:56 Power Issue, 2023
28:37 Attribution

[Kevin-lose]

Thanks for another great WDW Monorail video. Keep up the great work. The video was a lot of fun to watch and I learned even more about them.

[briancourtemanche]

I was vacationing with my family at WDW at the time of the fatal 2009 monorail accident. The morning following the accident, word spread rapidly across the resort that a young monorail operator had been killed. We were all stunned at the news, since the WDW monorails overall have such a stellar safety record. I still have the "monorail operator" souvenir cards that cast members gave to guests who rode with the monorail pilot in the front compartment. Those were wonderful experiences, though it's fully understandable why the rules had to change. I still think of young monorail operator Austin now and again when I ride the monorails, and wish peace for him and his family.

[mrgeebers]

You forgot to mention the 2018 Monorail Door Incidents